James Lee Stanley at Emerson House Sept. 17

Charlotte’s Web for the Performing Arts welcomes back James Lee Stanley at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 17, at Emerson House, 420 N. Main St.

Stanley calls himself “a self-professed human being,” but you can draw your own conclusions about his music. From his Italian family to a Singing Klingon, he always bares his soul for the audience. Whether it’s a love song or rock-and-roll, his songs create what James really wants us to hear. His social commentary evolves through his music. It’s an expression of what’s inside all of us, and only James has the balls to make us believe it.

In his long-lived singer-songwriter career, James Lee Stanley unites the unpredictable creative turns and the eclectic elements that make up his world. His remarkable ability as a vocalist and composer allow him to create songs, each recorded with finely-crafted guitar orchestrations to enhance the lyric. But a whole new dimension is added when James Lee performs live.

These incredible songs, coupled with his outrageously hilarious repartee, make for an evening of hilarity and tenderness, and one of the most entertaining concerts on the circuit. He has been hailed as one of the few all-time greats and undisputed geniuses among singer-songwriters. FI Magazine listed his Freelance Human Being as one of the finest recordings of 1998 and one of the Top 200 Recordings of all time. — FI Magazine, March 1999.

James Lee Stanley, the true renaissance man, was born in Philadelphia and has been recording and performing since he was 14. He has toured consistently since he returned from the USAF (as a Chinese linguist) and has performed up to 300 dates a year since then, with such diverse acts as Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams, Nicolette Larson and even Bill Cosby. Steven Wright chose James Lee as his opening act three years in a row, a testament to his professionalism and talent.